Portable Air compressor for spray painting cars

Submitted by Pleasant_Case9729 t3_10vhpm7 in BuyItForLife

Hey all,

Looking for some recommendations on a portable air compressor for sporadic usage.

Mainly for painting cars so: 4CFM greater 20~ gallons Wheels

Electric or gas? Which is better BIFL? Upright or horizontal?

All recommendations welcome, I will use this primarily for DIY auto spray painting jobs with our makeshift paint booth in the garage so looking for something that won’t break the bank or if I can find used on Facebook marketplace the better.

Anything to look out for when purchasing used?

Is husky a good brand?

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Comments

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winter203 t1_j7hyofr wrote

A turbine system is far better than what you're trying to do

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Muncie4 t1_j7itqnp wrote

Your compressor choice should not be based on the name on the label. Point one is to ensure the flow keeps up with your tools as you don't want to take a smoke break while the tank refills. Next is choosing a quiet one. Hulk Power is a cheap maker of quiet compressors and once you go quiet, you'll never go back. Now if you plan on outside placement or sound proof enclosure, you should not care. But....quiet is the way to go. The orientation of the tank makes no difference.

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burnzy440 t1_j7k3x26 wrote

I bought a compresser from Canadan tire about 30 years ago , still working.

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TheDoggoFaceBoy t1_j7kwxp7 wrote

If you are looking to paint cars sporadically, look into the inflatable booths with a turbine compressor. Also, you want to invest in air filtration and water separation. None of these things are BIFL unless you are setting up a commercial, brick and mortar operation.

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bad-monkey t1_j7mfpi9 wrote

what kind of gun/painting system are you using? because the air requirements for the average HVLP shooter is much higher than what average hobbyist compressors can put out, i.e. 6-8 cfm @ 90 psi required vs. 4 cfm @ 90 psi (likely performance). To get that much flow at 90psi you're likely looking at larger 220v/1P motors.

LVLP will work, but will put out less paint and likely take much longer to spray an entire car. 4 cfm @ 90 psi should be good enough for LVLP.

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